Videogames

[rayshul]

Currently playing the Testament of Sherlock Holmes. The gameplay is shithouse, but I am excited by the mystery.

[Git]

I'm about to take part in the 7-Day Roguelike Competition:

http://7drl.roguetemple.com/

Come next weekend, I hope to have a working RL. I'm doing a Goetic/Occult themed game, in C++ using the Libtcod library.

[cunt]

Has anyone tried Real Racing 3 for iOS? I downloaded it this weekend for my dad to play when they were visiting, and tried it for a bit myself. The game itself - really fun. The intrusive wait-forty-minutes-for-the-"repairs"-of-your-car-or-pay-us-money micro-transaction mechanic - made me delete the game after my dad had finished playing.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a fun racing game to scratch the itch I've suddenly developed? Preferably something for one of the consoles. I don't think I've played a racing game since Need For Speed 2. Unless you count Mario Kart.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.

[youtube]io6LgM96VRA[/youtube]

[daisyw]

Has anyone tried Real Racing 3 for iOS? I downloaded it this weekend for my dad to play when they were visiting, and tried it for a bit myself. The game itself - really fun. The intrusive wait-forty-minutes-for-the-"repairs"-of-your-car-or-pay-us-money micro-transaction mechanic - made me delete the game after my dad had finished playing.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a fun racing game to scratch the itch I've suddenly developed? Preferably something for one of the consoles. I don't think I've played a racing game since Need For Speed 2. Unless you count Mario Kart.

Yes. I've played that. Real Racing 3 was alright. It is annoying that it doesn't stream to an Apple TV in the same way that Real Racing 2 HD did. When Real Racing 2 HD streamed to an Apple TV it would show a map on your iPad while showing the game itself on your TV's screen. It was pretty good if you wanted to play a round or two in multiplayer with a few friends.

[skepandsprinkles]

IF anyone is out there shuffling through SimCity I am looking for some people to play with.

I'm partially interested in seeing the bugs for myself.

[TedDahlberg]

IF anyone is out there shuffling through SimCity I am looking for some people to play with.

I'm partially interested in seeing the bugs for myself.

I was tempted, despite the issues, but then I found out that the price for the digital deluxe version, converted from my local currency, is $110. (And the regular version $93). That made the decision much easier.

Would love to hear what you think about it though.

I think I might get Sim City 2000 from gog.com instead. That's always been "my" Sim City anyway. And speaking of Sim games, I tried Sim Golf a little while ago - that game is disturbingly engrossing considering I have no interest whatsoever in golf. Anyone else play it?

[skepandsprinkles]

I was tempted, despite the issues, but then I found out that the price for the digital deluxe version, converted from my local currency, is $110. (And the regular version $93). That made the decision much easier.

Would love to hear what you think about it though.

I think I might get Sim City 2000 from gog.com instead. That's always been "my" Sim City anyway. And speaking of Sim games, I tried Sim Golf a little while ago - that game is disturbingly engrossing considering I have no interest whatsoever in golf. Anyone else play it?

So far no major or gamebreaking bugs. Had an entertaining one where a burger shack and an apartment building were humping each other, but it was easily dealt with by bulldozing. My largest city is just under 200k and I have mostly high density roads with as few major intersections as possible and a healthy mass transit setup with buses and trains (and boats for waterfront cities) so my traffic isn't horrible (yet) even during rush hour.

I like the multiplayer aspects except for when someone screw up a city and just leaves you to either lose a city on the map or desperately try to coordinate a fix or when someone builds up a crime ridden city and you start up next to them. My one city is struggling because I keep getting overwhelmed with criminals from one city over and I can't afford the police force required.

[TedDahlberg]

So far no major or gamebreaking bugs. Had an entertaining one where a burger shack and an apartment building were humping each other, but it was easily dealt with by bulldozing. My largest city is just under 200k and I have mostly high density roads with as few major intersections as possible and a healthy mass transit setup with buses and trains (and boats for waterfront cities) so my traffic isn't horrible (yet) even during rush hour.

I like the multiplayer aspects except for when someone screw up a city and just leaves you to either lose a city on the map or desperately try to coordinate a fix or when someone builds up a crime ridden city and you start up next to them. My one city is struggling because I keep getting overwhelmed with criminals from one city over and I can't afford the police force required.

The multiplayer does seem neat and would be the reason for me to play it (since the rest of the game, while it seems perfectly fine, is not exactly the kind of Sim City I want). But it seems far too dependent on playing it with people you know won't screw it up, as you say. And even then, what happens when another player gets bored with the game, or doesn't have time to play their cities…

And all I can think about when I see the limited city size is that one glorious city I made in 2k which, by the end, was all arcologies. Not a fair comparison probably, but there you are.

[Barael]

In the spirit of one-up-man-ship, here's to you, Justin Vacula:

[rayshul]

So you're all playing Bioshock Infinity right now?

Not really sold on it to be honest, and the fucking faces in it are too anime.

[TedDahlberg]

So you're all playing Bioshock Infinity right now?

Not really sold on it to be honest, and the fucking faces in it are too anime.

I shall play the typical slymepit contrarian and say: nope. There's just something about all the Bioshock games which puts me off. I couldn't tell you exactly why, though, because in theory they sound like something I should be all over. And I realise that I'm missing out on great games. But from what I've watched of them… the gameplay just isn't for me.

I love the description of the game from the PC Gamer review though, "you’re on a flying city of magical racists in 1912".

I am however 28 hours into Mass Effect 2, playing it for the first time. I powered through the first one a couple of weeks ago when I was home sick, after having stalled my first attempt to play it a couple of years ago. I thought it was pretty good. The second one… yeah, now I completely understand why so many people seem to love it, and I count myself among them. The gameplay is perfect, and I'm not historically a big fan of shooters. And the stories are much more engaging than in the first game. I'd compare the first game to a competent sci-fi novel, and the second to an amazing anthology of short stories. The pacing of the second one is damn near perfect, and I think that's what keeps me coming back as much as the story itself. I know that in an hour to ninety minutes, I'll be able to play through a reasonably self-contained part of the story and feel like I've gotten somewhere.

[daisyw]

I've been busy playing through Dead Space 2 lately. I finally made it to Chapter 7 despite dying many, many times earlier on in the game. I do find the hallucinations that Isaac Clarke has throughout the game to be pretty scary though. I have jumped out of my seat while exclaiming "what on earth is that thing?!" more than once because of them.

I've also been playing DmC: Devil May Cry. I enjoy the soundtrack in that game. Combichrist and Noisia did pretty good job with that game's soundtrack.

[Badger3k]

So you're all playing Bioshock Infinity right now?

Not really sold on it to be honest, and the fucking faces in it are too anime.

Started last night. It's not too bad, even if I have to get used to the r3 to aim down the sites. The skyhook is fun, and there's enough things to keep me looking all over the place. The faces aren't the best - not sure why, but I remembered Elizabeth looking better than what I see now - maybe it's the difference between the console and the computer. I can get used to the style - I got used to and learned to love the Borderlands style (eagerly waiting for the new psycho class set to be released later). Just rescued Elizabeth and am going for the airship, so I'm not too far into it.

Still have a bunch of other DLC and games to do. The Mass Effect 3 DLC "Citadel" is fantastic - if you like the stories and relationships, you get a lot, especially if you have all the characters survive, as I did on my first and second playthroughs. Hearing Grunt tell his story about the escape from the hospital and his interactions with C-Sec, and the accompanying visuals...even my roommate was laughing, and she normally ignores my games. The party you go through is at times interesting, hilarious, and a bit bittersweet when you know the ending. Worth the money, though, even if the actual mission storyline is a bit trite and has a few plot holes in it.

[Badger3k]

I've been busy playing through Dead Space 2 lately. I finally made it to Chapter 7 despite dying many, many times earlier on in the game. I do find the hallucinations that Isaac Clarke has throughout the game to be pretty scary though. I have jumped out of my seat while exclaiming "what on earth is that thing?!" more than once because of them.

I've also been playing DmC: Devil May Cry. I enjoy the soundtrack in that game. Combichrist and Noisia did pretty good job with that game's soundtrack.

I still have to finish that game. I got stuck at the end being chased by that invulnerable necromorph, and cannot survive the chase. I thought about lowering the difficulty, but I hate to do that. Dead Space 3 has some scary moments right now, and the different environments are interesting (lunar city, ruined spaceships, spaceship graveyard, and eventually the ice planet (and whatever else there is). Never has desecrating dead bodies been so much fun (well, maybe...:) )

[daisyw]

I've been busy playing through Dead Space 2 lately. I finally made it to Chapter 7 despite dying many, many times earlier on in the game. I do find the hallucinations that Isaac Clarke has throughout the game to be pretty scary though. I have jumped out of my seat while exclaiming "what on earth is that thing?!" more than once because of them.

I've also been playing DmC: Devil May Cry. I enjoy the soundtrack in that game. Combichrist and Noisia did pretty good job with that game's soundtrack.

I still have to finish that game. I got stuck at the end being chased by that invulnerable necromorph, and cannot survive the chase. I thought about lowering the difficulty, but I hate to do that. Dead Space 3 has some scary moments right now, and the different environments are interesting (lunar city, ruined spaceships, spaceship graveyard, and eventually the ice planet (and whatever else there is). Never has desecrating dead bodies been so much fun (well, maybe...:) )

Dead Space 2 has to be one of the scariest games I've ever played. The hallucinations in it are pretty intense and had me avoiding the game for a while until I started playing through it again recently. And I play horror themed games regularly.

Dead Space 3 has a few scary moments in it but I don't think that it's as scary as Dead Space 2 is.

[Badger3k]

I've been busy playing through Dead Space 2 lately. I finally made it to Chapter 7 despite dying many, many times earlier on in the game. I do find the hallucinations that Isaac Clarke has throughout the game to be pretty scary though. I have jumped out of my seat while exclaiming "what on earth is that thing?!" more than once because of them.

I've also been playing DmC: Devil May Cry. I enjoy the soundtrack in that game. Combichrist and Noisia did pretty good job with that game's soundtrack.

I still have to finish that game. I got stuck at the end being chased by that invulnerable necromorph, and cannot survive the chase. I thought about lowering the difficulty, but I hate to do that. Dead Space 3 has some scary moments right now, and the different environments are interesting (lunar city, ruined spaceships, spaceship graveyard, and eventually the ice planet (and whatever else there is). Never has desecrating dead bodies been so much fun (well, maybe...:) )

Dead Space 2 has to be one of the scariest games I've ever played. The hallucinations in it are pretty intense and had me avoiding the game for a while until I started playing through it again recently. And I play horror themed games regularly.

Dead Space 3 has a few scary moments in it but I don't think that it's as scary as Dead Space 2 is.

Really? Damn, it had a few moments so far, but I'd hoped for more later. You think it doesn't do that, then? I had hoped for more. I just have to play it late at night with the lights down.

[TedDahlberg]

Gaming highlight of the past weekend (and not just because it was the only gaming which occurred apart from playing the first two levels of Luigi's Mansion 2 - which seems to be shaping up to be an excellent game incidentally); watching my eleven year old niece play New Super Mario Bros 2 on my 3DS for half an afternoon, and occasionally helping out when she got stuck on a haunted house or castle.

[TheMan]

Gave up on Sim City when Societies came out....but the new Sim City 2013 seems to be worth a look. Some good looking tutorials on Youtube.

[rayshul]

Sim City looks gorgeous but I understand there's some weirdness around having to play it on their servers.

[skepandsprinkles]

I've partially moved on from it because I kept losing my cities because the servers kept chewing on them. New love affair: Guild Wars 2 and finishing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.

[EdwardGemmer]

I downloaded Terraria for Xbox. It's been pretty good - digging around making swords and stuff. I've got a new baby so I need something to look at while I'm holding her for hours.

[Pitchguest]

If you guys haven't played Magicka yet, I'm up for teaming up on that. You can be four players.

If the voices won't make you laugh, then certainly the amount of pop-culture references will. The amount of robes you can unlock in various ways are also hilarious. One of my favourites is the Tentacle Robe with the Chrono-o-Rod and the Death Ray Gun.

And yeah, I played through Bioshock Infinite. It's a solid game. Gameplay and story. I *loved* the subtle things you notice on your second-playthrough (I won't spoil anything, but they're pretty damn great) and some other things.

*****SPOILERS*****



















( Like old takes on some modern songs. Like this one, a girl that sings the lyrics to "Fortunate Son" by Creedence [the story's set in 1912] )

[TedDahlberg]

I got Terraria for the Xbox… it was by sheer force of will that I only played an hour and a half last night. I have it on PC too, but it felt like the kind of game that would be nice to play for an hour or two on the couch after work. Which seems to be entirely true so far.
If I have any complaint it's that the controls have their quirks, but then the same was true on the PC, they're just different quirks. On the PC building was easier but movement didn't feel quite right. I'm enjoying the platform movement much more with a controller, but the building is more finicky. And holding a button down a moment too long while crafting silk meant that the silk I had spent an hour looking for and which was meant to make a bed (so that I can spawn in the house I built rather than below the hill I built it on) went to making a banner instead.

Still, love the game. For those who have no idea what i'm talknig about, it's a 2D platformer with the gathering or resources, crafting and building of Minecraft. My first two nights with it have been spent gathering the resources for and building a rudimentary house, and filling it with a furnace, workbench, sawmill and loom. So that I can make a bed, which allows you to move your spawn point when you start the game.

In other words, this is a game which appeals to a particular type of person. Me ;)

[Submariner]

I downloaded Terraria for Xbox. It's been pretty good - digging around making swords and stuff. I've got a new baby so I need something to look at while I'm holding her for hours.

Congratulations EG!

[EdwardGemmer]

Thanks man! My other kid is six and I'm getting used to this whole lack of sleep routine again.

[SenorBeagle]

So, has anyone else seen the trailer for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon? 'Cos that shit is glorious, yo...

[youtube]0dofacvjRkc[/youtube]

A "VHS era vision of a nuclear future, where cyborgs, blood dragons, mutants, and Michael Biehn collide"?

I'm in!

[TedDahlberg]

So, has anyone else seen the trailer for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon? 'Cos that shit is glorious, yo...

[youtube]*snipped piece of awesome*[/youtube]

A "VHS era vision of a nuclear future, where cyborgs, blood dragons, mutants, and Michael Biehn collide"?

I'm in!

Haven't had a chance to watch the trailer this morning but I read about it this morning and that alone is enough to say that I'm so getting this. And I haven't even played Far Cry 3 and am not a huge fan of first person shooters.

Also, a standalone expansion? Are we indeed returning to the glory days of the nineties?

There's a preview on PC Gamer. I love this quote:

But wait: what’s that game director Dean Evans is saying? “We’re really proud of our bad script.” Oh. He goes on: “In an age where polygons equal emotion, we went for something a bit different” – and with that he triggered the next slide which boasted “1D characters, terrible story, minimal emotions”.

Oh, and:

...Blood Dragon puts a spin on things: mercenaries are not men but cyborgs with heads that satisfyingly burst into showers of blue sparks; organic wildlife is swapped for artificial beasts like robo-crocs, cyber-sharks, mutant turtles and devil goats; zip wires are Tron-like beams of light, the radar’s a stark green and black grid, and blood dragons are… well, they’re new.

[Masked Manchild]

In video game news, Adam Orth was fired from his job after saying something stupid online that caused a backlash from the internet.

Not a single fuck was given.

[Pitchguest]

Yeah, imagine if Adam was a woman - or black. Mass hysteria!

Anyway, I'm chuffed Adam got axed. Always-on DRM on consoles, and everyone should get internet to "get with the times"? Fucking idiot.

Yeah, so Adam, you got punted? Deal with it.

[rayshul]

I downloaded Terraria for Xbox. It's been pretty good - digging around making swords and stuff. I've got a new baby so I need something to look at while I'm holding her for hours.

Ooh congratulations! That's so awesome!!!

I remember getting Skyrim a few days after my baby was born... bloody never got a chance to play the fucking thing. :( I still haven't made it past the first village over a year later.

[rayshul]

Dead Space 2 has to be one of the scariest games I've ever played. The hallucinations in it are pretty intense and had me avoiding the game for a while until I started playing through it again recently. And I play horror themed games regularly.

Dead Space 3 has a few scary moments in it but I don't think that it's as scary as Dead Space 2 is.

I loved Dead Space too. Have you done Slender Man? It's a free download and it fucking scared my arse off. Swear to fuck that shit is intense.

[daisyw]

Dead Space 2 has to be one of the scariest games I've ever played. The hallucinations in it are pretty intense and had me avoiding the game for a while until I started playing through it again recently. And I play horror themed games regularly.

Dead Space 3 has a few scary moments in it but I don't think that it's as scary as Dead Space 2 is.

I loved Dead Space too. Have you done Slender Man? It's a free download and it fucking scared my arse off. Swear to fuck that shit is intense.

I haven't played any Slender Man games yet but I have seen a friend of mine play one of those games, called 'Haunt: The Real Slender Game' and it seemed pretty interesting. I might check it out whenever I get a new computer.

[Tigzy]

Currently playing BLOPS 2 - mixed feelings so far: most of all, I don't like the fact that the 'grenade nearby, run like fuck' icon is small and in muted colours, leaving it nigh-on invisible when there's a lot of shit going down on-screen. Seriously, have the screen flashing red or something, rather than leaving my character suddenly dead and me scratching my head whilst going 'WTF???' just before being told I was killed by a grenade. Also, those strategy elements in the Strike Force missions - balls to that! Really, when I play an FPS I just want to run around and shoot shit, not dick about with game-pieces like I'm playing Cludeo.

That said, the story is excellent, and when you're in the midst of the action with bullets and RPGs flying everywhere, it really comes into its own. Haven't tried the online multiplayer yet, so here's hoping that the franchise gives some leeway to online shooters like me, who are generally so shit it's a wonder we're not mistaken for bots.

[cunt]

Just finished the original Dead Space. Really great game, I loved the environments, sound design and what they were trying to do with it. Blasting limbs off zombies. I never really felt all that vulnerable though... save points everywhere, I never had a problem buying all the ammo I needed for a particularly hard section. I'll be picking up Dead Space 2 but not because I expect it to be frightening.

The best horror games in my opinion leave you totally vulnerable with mostly unseen monsters. Amnesia: The Dark Descent never even gave you a weapon. Condemned: Criminal Origins was much scarier knowing that any threat out there pretty much had to be dispensed with hand-to-hand.

[cunt]

Been playing a lot of Dark Souls recently too. I'm at the two boss fight in the Anor Londo cathedral. I seemed to have missed all of the good weapons in the game so far though. I've got lightning spear+3 and there's just no way i'm ever going to beat those fuckers with that.

[AbsurdWalls]

Been playing a lot of Dark Souls recently too. I'm at the two boss fight in the Anor Londo cathedral. I seemed to have missed all of the good weapons in the game so far though. I've got lightning spear+3 and there's just no way i'm ever going to beat those fuckers with that.

You pretty much need jolly cooperation for that fight. Summon a human helper at the bonfire where you saw Solaire (after the silver knights with greatbows) and then pick up Solaire on the staircase in the big hall. It is easier to win if you kill Ornstein first, however I think the loot you get for killing Smough first is better. Don't use the lightning spear, Ornstein is strong against lightning. I downgraded mine to be a +10 spear and then made the Moonlight Butterfly boss weapon. Don't do that either, it sucks. Your best tactic will depend on what kind of character you have made. Both times I have beaten them I have let summoned phantoms go toe-to-toe and done healing and ranged attacks (pyromancy once and magic the other time).

If you're stuck there then now is a good time to do the following (if you haven't already):
Go to the catacombs and beat pinwheel to get the rite of kindling (more estus at bonfires)
Kill the hydra in the Darkwood basin
Kill Havel for the extra carry weight ring
Mess around with covenants
Explore the painted world of ariamis

Not sure how much you you've been reading around but if you want to get human co-op it seems you should be trying to keep your level as low as you can (there are guides online to what a good level is to be for each encounter). Your level only really matters for multiplayer but if you pig out on extra levels you can end up unable to summon human help (fucking Artorias!).

[cunt]

Damn, I probably shouldn't have let my xbox live subscription expire. It sounds like it might be worth cashing in a two-day trial card when I actually make a serious attempt at it. My character is a bit of an all-rounder, level 55, he's got ok pyromancy but can only carry 8 fireballs at a time. Not sure if you can increase that at some point.

I explored the painted world already, but didn't kill the boss. Killed Havel and the hydra. I didn't know about the catacombs, so heading off down there now. I have a feeling that i've missed some covenants. The only ones that i've found are the ones in the bell-tower and the fucked up spider covenant.

[AbsurdWalls]

Damn, I probably shouldn't have let my xbox live subscription expire. It sounds like it might be worth cashing in a two-day trial card when I actually make a serious attempt at it. My character is a bit of an all-rounder, level 55, he's got ok pyromancy but can only carry 8 fireballs at a time. Not sure if you can increase that at some point.

I explored the painted world already, but didn't kill the boss. Killed Havel and the hydra. I didn't know about the catacombs, so heading off down there now. I have a feeling that i've missed some covenants. The only ones that i've found are the ones in the bell-tower and the fucked up spider covenant.

If you want to be able to carry more fireballs you need to level up your attunement stat. Fucked up spider covenant is probably the best one for pyromancy and the only one I can think of that isn't online-focused. One of the other covenants (in the forest) gives you a shop and access to friendly NPCs you can betray for excellent equipment that can't be gotten any other way (the vendor has a light greatshield that can still parry and his bodyguard has a ring that lets you do ninja flips). There is a covenant hidden in the catacombs that gives you something good for joining but i) the main mechanic it involves is online and ii) that mechanic doesn't even work until you've finished the game once.

The boss in the painted world is a pain in the arse and doesn't drop anything decent anyway. There are a few good pyromancies around there though (I believe). Did you get invaded by the NPC with the yellow gear and the ridiculous hat? I think he might drop some good stuff.

Once you've got rid of Ornstein and Smough the game changes a lot because [GAMEPLAY SPOILER]:

You get the ability to teleport between certain bonfires. Some places are still difficult to get to, but it makes it very easy to do things like going to the depths to get a load of humanities and upgrade materials.

You might already know that the more "soft" humanity you're carrying (the number in the top left) the more enemies will drop items (it works up to 10 humanities with the covetous gold serpent ring that you can find in Sen's fortress). If you go to the bonfire in the depths (where the hallway with all of the slimes is) you can rest there, then go and kill all of the slimes and rats nearby, use all of the humanities you get, and then go back to the bonfire. If you do that a bunch of times you will end up with loads of large and green titanite shards and loads of extra humanities too. It's handy if you want to keep trying to kill a boss while summoning people for help every time you die. Also "soft" humanities are what you give to the spider lady in order to level up in her covenant, which is worth doing (you get access to some of the most powerful pyromancies, and to a shortcut that lets you skip two bosses and save an NPC who dies otherwise).

[daisyw]

Just finished the original Dead Space. Really great game, I loved the environments, sound design and what they were trying to do with it. Blasting limbs off zombies. I never really felt all that vulnerable though... save points everywhere, I never had a problem buying all the ammo I needed for a particularly hard section. I'll be picking up Dead Space 2 but not because I expect it to be frightening.

The best horror games in my opinion leave you totally vulnerable with mostly unseen monsters. Amnesia: The Dark Descent never even gave you a weapon. Condemned: Criminal Origins was much scarier knowing that any threat out there pretty much had to be dispensed with hand-to-hand.

I have played Dead Space 2 and 3, but I haven't played the original Dead Space yet as I cannot find a copy of it to buy anywhere.

Dead Space 2 has some scary moments in it that will leave you going "what the hell was that?".

[cunt]

I just downloaded my copy of Dead Space. Haven't seen it in the stores for a while either but I bet amazon could do you a better price than on-demand and i've always found ebay to be great for videogames.

If you want to be able to carry more fireballs you need to level up your attunement stat. Fucked up spider covenant is probably the best one for pyromancy and the only one I can think of that isn't online-focused. One of the other covenants (in the forest) gives you a shop and access to friendly NPCs you can betray for excellent equipment that can't be gotten any other way (the vendor has a light greatshield that can still parry and his bodyguard has a ring that lets you do ninja flips). There is a covenant hidden in the catacombs that gives you something good for joining but i) the main mechanic it involves is online and ii) that mechanic doesn't even work until you've finished the game once.

The boss in the painted world is a pain in the arse and doesn't drop anything decent anyway. There are a few good pyromancies around there though (I believe). Did you get invaded by the NPC with the yellow gear and the ridiculous hat? I think he might drop some good stuff.

Once you've got rid of Ornstein and Smough the game changes a lot because [GAMEPLAY SPOILER]:

You get the ability to teleport between certain bonfires. Some places are still difficult to get to, but it makes it very easy to do things like going to the depths to get a load of humanities and upgrade materials.

You might already know that the more "soft" humanity you're carrying (the number in the top left) the more enemies will drop items (it works up to 10 humanities with the covetous gold serpent ring that you can find in Sen's fortress). If you go to the bonfire in the depths (where the hallway with all of the slimes is) you can rest there, then go and kill all of the slimes and rats nearby, use all of the humanities you get, and then go back to the bonfire. If you do that a bunch of times you will end up with loads of large and green titanite shards and loads of extra humanities too. It's handy if you want to keep trying to kill a boss while summoning people for help every time you die. Also "soft" humanities are what you give to the spider lady in order to level up in her covenant, which is worth doing (you get access to some of the most powerful pyromancies, and to a shortcut that lets you skip two bosses and save an NPC who dies otherwise).

Thanks man. I think I might actually go farm some titanite in the depths anyway just to upgrade some weapons. The shitty frame-rate on the 360 makes that even more of a chore though.

[Badger3k]

I paused in my dark souls game. I mainly use the dragon sword I got by shooting it's tail off. I also made my +5 axe into a raw one. Still real early in the game. Can't defeat the damn gargoyles yet, but have moved around them. Coming up to the dragon or whatever it is in the sewers. Need to grind a bit more. Still can't beat Havel - his ring would be real handy to have. Not as easy as the playthroughs I watch on youtube.

I did make a few game commentary videos (and one music video) by playing around with the Elgato game capture HD. Pretty fun, even if it is a drive hog (I could turn off the flashback stuff, but haven't so far). Definitely have to work on my commentary, though.

Actually, now that I think of it, I am also paused on dead space 3, and Bioshock infinite, and even need to go back to skyrim (dl'd all the dlc). And dead island riptide is coming out this week. Too much to play and no time.

[AbsurdWalls]

Thanks man. I think I might actually go farm some titanite in the depths anyway just to upgrade some weapons. The shitty frame-rate on the 360 makes that even more of a chore though.

The best drop rate for large titanite is actually the leeches in Blighttown (take a left from the bonfire in the pipe on the ground level). They each drop stacks of 3-5 large titanite, however death comes very easy there and it would suck to die twice in a row and lose a load of humanity.

I paused in my dark souls game. I mainly use the dragon sword I got by shooting it's tail off. I also made my +5 axe into a raw one. Still real early in the game. Can't defeat the damn gargoyles yet, but have moved around them. Coming up to the dragon or whatever it is in the sewers. Need to grind a bit more. Still can't beat Havel - his ring would be real handy to have. Not as easy as the playthroughs I watch on youtube.

The first time I played I learned the timing to parry Havel's enormous club and killed him with ripostes. The second time I did a trick where you get naked and then entice him to chase you to the top of the spiral staircase. If you jump off at the right point he jumps after you, but because his armour is so heavy he takes a lot of damage when he hits the floor (you will take relatively little, but he also takes a long time to recover so you will have time to heal before he starts chasing you again). Do that a few times and he dies.

My first character was a greatsword-wielding pyromancer with heavy armour, but I got a bit bored of him after Anor Londo. I'm coming up to the end of the game with a rapier-wielding sorceress character now. I will probably make a new paladin-type character next and keep him at a low level to help people fight bosses. I think a lot of the boss battles feel balanced only when playing with a partner. The others (hydra, ceaseless discharge) feel "cheap" when you beat them.

[TedDahlberg]

So right now Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is downloading on my PS3 at home, presumably ready to play once I get home. Not that I'll have time to play it then, but maybe later tonight. Dark Arisen is the original with new added content, for £20. I'd been mildly interested before, but for that price it seemed worth trying. Anyone else play it?

[rayshul]

Does anyone want to muliplyer shit?

[SenorBeagle]

Oh dear lord jeebus, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is awesome.

Erm, there's a bit of a caveat, though, 'cos there seems to be a bit of an age divide, in terms of opinions; I've seen people saying it looks retarded, but as far as I can tell, they're all too young to have actually lived through the 80s. If you did live through the 80s, and fondly remember them days, then the game's glorious.

In fact, if you grew up in the 80s, I'd say the last 15-20 minutes (starting from the epic Transformers/Stan Bush reference, followed immediately by the obligatory training montage, and including music by Vince DiCola, plus a bit that felt like a reference to both The Last Starfighter and Zoids) are pure nirvana... :D

[cunt]

I like that they've done something very different with the far cry 3 dlc. I'll probably get it at some point, but I don't really have the 80's nostalgia that makes it a "must buy".

Does anyone want to muliplyer shit?

I'd probably be up for a bit of Team Fortress 2, L4D or Portal 2 co-op sometime.

[rayshul]

I like that they've done something very different with the far cry 3 dlc. I'll probably get it at some point, but I don't really have the 80's nostalgia that makes it a "must buy".

Does anyone want to muliplyer shit?

I'd probably be up for a bit of Team Fortress 2, L4D or Portal 2 co-op sometime.

Got Team Fortress 2 on PC, L4D & Portal 2 on XBox ... but am not a PC player.

[rayshul]

Oh dear lord jeebus, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is awesome.

Have been watching the husband playing that with a face on like :shock:

[TedDahlberg]

Have had a chance to play a bit of Dragon's Dogma now, and it's really quite fun so far. Especially after I learned to save after every encounter I survive, and before every new one I can see coming (learned the hard way after an unfortunate early encounter with lizard-men down a well). Bandits will try to lure you to rush in so they can surround you, wounded wolves run away… I hope this reasonably intelligent behaviour keeps up as I get further in, because I'm really enjoying having to think things through instead of just wildly slashing a sword about. Certainly my survival rate has shot up since I stopped treating this game like it was Kingdoms of Amalur (though I wouldn't have minded a bit more of the storytelling from that one, since Dragon's Dogma's fanatsy world is even more bland).

My once complaint, really, is that the grey and brown wolves and grey and brown bandits blend in remarkably well with the grey and brown and gren backgrounds, to the point where I often can't see the enemies my AI followers are shouting about.


As for Far Cry Blood Dragon; oh my. Have played about ten minutes of it (might save it to play during my vacation in a couple of months), and I cyber-love it.

[SenorBeagle]

Oh dear lord jeebus, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is awesome.

Have been watching the husband playing that with a face on like :shock:

Wait till you see him play the last 15-20 minutes, he's going to do this:

:o :lol: :happy-bouncyredfire:

As for Far Cry Blood Dragon; oh my. Have played about ten minutes of it (might save it to play during my vacation in a couple of months), and I cyber-love it.

I say again: the last 15-20 minutes. I hope ye like Vince DiCola. :D

Oh, and there's talk of a sequel, according to Michael Biehn. My thoughts on that run roughly thus: oh fuck yes.

[TedDahlberg]

Oh, and there's talk of a sequel [to Far Cry Blood Dragon], according to Michael Biehn. My thoughts on that run roughly thus: oh fuck yes.

:o :shock: :D

Might… might video games be becoming fun again? I do appreciate games striving for better stories and everything (with heavy emphasis on striving, don't think many have gotten there yet), but sometimes I miss the days of simple and over the top silly. We all know we're here to play a game, let's not pretend it's a realistic simulation of real life.


Unrelated, but since I had a chance to test it yesterday, let me just say that Ni No Kuni is a gorgeous game. I didn't realise how much I needed something cheerful (admittedly with very dark undertones) to play. Actually made me feel better after a so far semi-crappy week.

And speaking of good games, for those with iPads Sid Meier's Ace Patrol came out. I didn't think I'd be interested in a game about WWI fighter planes, even if it was a turn based strategy actually made by Sid Meier himself rather than just having his name on it. How wrong I was, spent over an hour with it last night and bought all the IAP content.

And playing that reminded me that I'd downloaded Firaxis' other free game, Haunted Hollow, so I thought I'd play that for a few minutes just so I could confirm my suspicion that it was bad and delete it. Yeah. Played that for another hour, and bought the season pass :? It's decidedly board-gamey, in a very good way. You add different rooms to your mansion which lets you make monsters to scare the inhabitants of a small town and take it over (before your opponent can do the same). There's ghosts, vampires, mummies. There's angry mobs of villagers. There's the Swamp Creature's Lavatory.

If anyone's up for some multiplayer on the iPad (these games or others), let me know. Would love to ditch the AI for once.

[TedDahlberg]

I just pre-ordered The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing so that I can try out the beta when I get home tonight. Looks like a fun Diablo clone. Yeah, I know, stupid to pre-order, but it was $15 so eh. I'll take a chance. And it's released for real next week. I like the look of it:

http://game-smack.net/wp-content/upload ... sing_5.jpg

The reason I found it in the first place was that I got a hankering for something Diablo-esque after trying the open beta of Marvel Heroes last weekend, and that one isn't released until the start of June. Maybe not the deepest gameplay, but you can play as Rocket Raccoon, so… That one is an MMO (although barely, it seems) and will be free to play (you can pay to unlock specific characters and costumes, but they will drop randomly in-game as well), so if anyone feels like a super-hero team-up send me a PM or something.

[Badger3k]

Shameless self-promotion :shock: : I am getting into game commentary/montages, and am just starting out on YouTube (after having an account for 7 years) - not much now but I'm working on getting content out. If interested, check it out (I'm proud of my first real video - the Hammerhead music video - I worked to make some of the action fit the lyrics). All of my material is from the PS3.

my channel

That's the only time this will come up. I normally don't like doing it, but I am interested in any feedback on how to make things better - I have a few clips of raw footage, and some edited montages, but I'm learning as I go and would like any suggestions. As the school year will be over soon and I'll be looking for work, I may have some extra time on my hands. :violin:

[TedDahlberg]

I have a couple of Steam keys I don't need, so I thought I might put them here and whoever wants can grab them. If you use one (or two, or all three), just make a post saying so, so people don't have to try them to find out that they don't work.

Crusader Kings II: Sword of Islam DLC HEHR8-Z8FWK-X5ND0

Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome DLC JRVDF-5GFBB-E2HAB

Burn Zombie Burn 2GYEJ-EFCYL-ZF3MM

[Kareem]

So after the underpowered WiiU, how could Microsoft not make their console look better?
[youtube]qSwz9dI3oSk[/youtube]
[youtube]lKm94T0jfzQ[/youtube]
Sony is going to be owning the other consoles. Deal with it :ugeek:

[TedDahlberg]

Yeah, I watched the reveal… things might change, but from the information so far the Xbox doesn't seem to be for me. TV features that I can't use because I'm not in the US, sports features that I'm not interested in and can't use because I'm not in the US… The multi-tasking, while technically sort of interesting, would probably be of little practical use to me. I don't browse the 'net on my TV, because it's nigh impossible to read any text. And I don't particularly want a Kinect, even if the voice recognition is cool.

And then there's the requirement to connect to the internet at regular intervals. That wouldn't be a practical problem to me, but I dislike it on principle.

I could be persuaded otherwise, but I'm leaning Playstation next generation. Or maybe just PC. I've got Crusader Kings II. That should last me ten years easy.

[cunt]

Yeah, unless they've got some really great exclusives at E3 i'm looking at Playstation. Original franchises too, with a similar leap in tech we saw between PS2 and 360, not Halo 5, Gears of War 4, a racing game and some quirky kids title.

Voice recognition might have some novelty value but I could probably do the stuff they demoed faster right now with a 360 controller.

[cunt]

Also, I traded in 3 single player games that I was totally done with this afternoon and picked up Bioshock Infinite basically as a bonus game. I really, really like being able to do that.

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

I mostly play Minesweeper these days.

Yeah, I need a new computer...

[Gumby]

I just pre-ordered The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing so that I can try out the beta when I get home tonight. Looks like a fun Diablo clone. Yeah, I know, stupid to pre-order, but it was $15 so eh. I'll take a chance. And it's released for real next week. I like the look of it:

http://game-smack.net/wp-content/upload ... sing_5.jpg

The reason I found it in the first place was that I got a hankering for something Diablo-esque after trying the open beta of Marvel Heroes last weekend, and that one isn't released until the start of June. Maybe not the deepest gameplay, but you can play as Rocket Raccoon, so… That one is an MMO (although barely, it seems) and will be free to play (you can pay to unlock specific characters and costumes, but they will drop randomly in-game as well), so if anyone feels like a super-hero team-up send me a PM or something.

I used to be a Diablo 2 addict back in the day. To this day, when I think of that game, my mouse-clicking finger starts to ache.